{"value":{"id":1751236,"askingMemberId":5158,"askingMember":null,"house":"Commons","memberHasInterest":false,"dateTabled":"2024-12-18T00:00:00","dateForAnswer":"2025-01-06T00:00:00","uin":"21141","questionText":"To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of officials in her Department were hired via positive action schemes in the last financial year.","answeringBodyId":54,"answeringBodyName":"Ministry of Justice","isWithdrawn":false,"isNamedDay":false,"groupedQuestions":[],"answerIsHolding":false,"answerIsCorrection":false,"answeringMemberId":4849,"answeringMember":null,"correctingMemberId":null,"correctingMember":null,"dateAnswered":"2025-01-06T00:00:00","answerText":"<p>The Ministry of Justice works within the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, as regulated by the Civil Service Commission, to recruit using a fair and open process and appoint on merit. The Department will only limit a campaign to a specific group as a form of positive action as a proportionate response to achieve a legitimate aim as defined in section 159 of the Equality Act 2010.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice does not currently utilise any positive action schemes, as defined by the Equality Act, to support the hiring of those with protected characteristics.</p><p>The Civil Service is committed to a diverse workforce and culture of openness and inclusivity - not as ends in themselves but as means of delivering better outcomes to the citizens we serve.</p><p>The Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-25 Promoting Fairness and Performance, published in February 2022, is positioned as an essential lever to deliver a Modern Civil Service, where our values are to serve with integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality; driving our vision to be a skilled, innovative and ambitious Civil Service equipped for the future. This strategy sets out a broader definition of diversity, to include geographical, social and career backgrounds alongside the protected groups.</p><p>As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.</p>","originalAnswerText":"","comparableAnswerText":"","dateAnswerCorrected":null,"dateHoldingAnswer":null,"attachmentCount":0,"heading":"Ministry of Justice: Equality","attachments":[],"groupedQuestionsDates":[]},"links":[{"rel":"self","href":"/Questions/1751236","method":"GET"}]}